Window and door structural element



June 22; 1965 H. PASCHE wnmow AND noon STRUCTURAL ELEMENT 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 6, 1962 H. PASCHE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2' Fig. 2

June 22, 1965 wmnow AND noon STRUCTURAL ELEMENT Filed Dec. 6, 1962 H. PASCHE WINDOW AND DOOR STRUCTURAL ELEMENT- Jung 22, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet :5

Filed D60. 6, 1962 from the German Patent No. 894,316.

United States Patent Claims. (21. 1s9 75 The invention relates to an improved frame construction for windows, doors and the like, and particularly is directed to a structural member consisting of a tubular metallic member of rectangular section covered with a sheathing of extruded thermoplastic synthetic material. The structural member is particularly intended for windows and doors, and the sheathing is provided with projecting parts likewise formed of thermoplastic material which serve as stops for the structural member of another window or door or for stops on a fixed frame memher.

A similar structural member is known, for example, This known structure, however, is circular or oval in cross-section, but structural members having a rectangular section are known in which between the edge faces of two moving sashes or between a moving sash and a fixed window frame which face one another in the closed condition a gap must be left in order that the window or the door formed from such a member can be closed or opened. This intermediate space is desirable since it forms a frame-like insulating space which is filled with air.

It will be understood that with such windows or doors (hereinafter referred to merely as windows) the projecting parts of thermoplastic synthetic material provide the closure pressure and, owing to the inherent elasticity of the thermoplastic synthetic material, these parts provide also the sealing pressure. The projections must therefore be of suitable stiffness to insure the sealing effect of said insulating intermediate space.

' In the said prior patent specification the projections are therefore formed in the form of ribs so that additional air columns are produced which act for insulating purposes and simultaneously seal off the gap between the moving members or between one of such members and a frame.

These known structural members are, however, incomplete in so far as they do not take into account the necessary tolerances in the extrusion of ribs of synthetic material required for obtaining satisfactory sealing.

In order to be able to fasten glazing strips to windows satisfactorily under difiicult working conditions on buildings, and to be able to retain large and heavy insulating glazed elements satisfactorily with the required safety, additional metal strips are necessary which are attached by screws or must be fastened with springs and then attached by screws into position. The provision of threaded holes, however, requires the making of openings in the closed tubular sheathing of synthetic material so that moisture and water can penetrate into the tubular structural member and can cause corrosion at these points. The glazing'work is therefore very costly.

It should also be observed that a great number of different structural members is necessary in order to be able to produce all types of windows. Finally, condensation on the inner faces of movable frames, especially with large temperature differences between the outside and the inside, cannot be reliably avoided.

In order to overcome these disadvantages, it is an object of the invention to make certain that the ribs on the tubular sheathing terminate in resilient and relatively sharp edges, and that the thinner ribs extend in the opposite direction of the heavier ribs so that a chamber will be formed when said ribs cooperate and engage or 3,19%,41 l Patented June 22, 1965 ice a wall of an adjacent member is engaged to form suction-like air columns.

These air columns seal the insulating air space between two moving members or between a moving member and the frame and discourage the retention of water, mortar or dirt. Also, the closing operation of the window sash is facilitated since a suitably rounded corner member provided on the window frame will position the ribs in sliding engagement under tension.

A further advantage of the present invention lies in the fact that owing to the suction-like action of the ends of the ribs the latter themselves can be constructed much heavier than is possible with the ribs on the known structural members so that the ribs according to the invention can serve also as a reliable stop for the pane of glass to be mounted in the window sash.

The ribs may be made integral with the tubular sheathing or may be separately attached and fitted to the corner ribs of the tubular sheathing. For this purpose the separate ribs are provided with grooves which are conveniently provide internally with barb-like members. The

upper edges of the corner ribs of the sheathing may also be thickened or provided with lateral ribs in order to produce push-on fastening means for the separate ribs at the corner ribs. If corner ribs are provided at all four corners of the tubular sheathing, all types of window sashes may be produced with such a basic structural member.

Moreover, corner ribs have the advantage that they serve for the desired enlargement of the intermediate air space between the structural members with the result that the ribs do not have to be made unnecessarily long.

Also, the corner ribs discourage the passage of water into the intermediate air space and into the inside of the room. Furthermore, it is of advantage that the corner ribs can serve for the attachment of glass panes and other members.

The sheathing does not have to engage the entire surface area of the metallic tube. It has been found that by producing grooves or other recesses in the inner wall of the sheathing, an air insulating layer can be formed which prevents condensation on the inner side of the window sash when greater temperature ditferences are encountered.

The drawing illustrates by way of example sectional views of a few embodiments of the structural member of the invention which form portions of closed windows.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the lower portion of a closed window comprising a window sash, in which one corner of the upper rectangular structural member is provided with a separately attached glazing strip which is mounted on an outwardly extending rib of the thermoplastic synthetic sheathing on the inner metallic tube, while the lower rectangular structural member forms a portion of the window frame mounted in the wall of the building;

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of another embodiment of two abutting portions of a closed window in which both upper corners of the rectangular structural member of the sash are provided with upwardly projecting ribs for receiving separate push-on glazing strips, and

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of still another embodiment of two abutting portions of a closed window in which all four corners of the rectangular structural members of the sash and window frame are provided with outwardly extending ribs for receiving separate push-on glazing or sealing strips and for being mounted in the masonry of the building, respectively.

Referring to the drawings, the structural members forming a Window sash and window frame, respectively, consist of a metallic supporting tube 1 of rectangular crosssection provided with a tubular sheathing or covering 2 of thermoplastic synthetic material, for example polyvinyl chloride. The coverings as shown in FIGURESl and 2 are provided onat leastone corner of each with outwardly directed ribs 2a which'terminate in reverse portions forming thin .ribs 2b which extend in a directiont'oward the coverings 2. In the closed position of the window a chamber having the vertical dimension h is formed between the two adjacent structuralmember's.

In the FIGS. 1 and 2 the ribs 2a are formed integral with the corners of the coveringsz. In FIG. 1 the coverings 2 are each provided with two corner ribs 20 and in' ,FIG, 2 with three corner ribs 20. FIG. '3 shows four corner ribs 20 on eachcovering 2.v I

According to the invention the free ends of the ribs 2a extend in a direction toward the vertical plane of the Window, and thin ribs 2b extendfrom the vicinity of the free ends toward the coverings Z and almost parallel to the ribs 2a. In the closed condition of the'window sash the thin ribs 2b of one .sash of the movingand the staribs 20 while the strips 14 serve as glazing strips. In order to provide a firm seating for the strips 15 on the corner ribs 20, one may provide barb-shaped ridges 8 (see FIG. 3) on the walls of the grooves in the attached strips 15. .Also, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the outermost ends of-some of the ribs 2c may be formed so that a bead or the like is provided thereon in order that the strips 6 (FIG. 1) or 2a (FIG. 2 may be joined to the corner ribs Zcbypushpn pressure.

Grooves are shown at 9 which are provided for forming an air layer within the structural members. This air layer discourages the forming of condensation on the interior of the structural members between the tube 1 and the sheathing when the temperature differences between .the inside and the outside are substantial.

. What I claim is:

1. A structural member for makingthe frame structures of closure members such as windows and'doors, compristionary window sashes cooperateand engage with the heavier ribs 2c of the other of the stationary and moving window sashes, for which purpose the sides of the corner ribs 2c facing the ribs 2b a-re r'ounded. Furthermore, the ribs 2a terminate at one edge offtheir free ends in relatively sharp edge portions 2d which, together with the thin ribs 2b, form peripherally extending'sealing suction chambers 3 having a substantially triangular cross-section. The lowerhorizontal structural member of the sash has attached thereto orintegrally formed therewitha window drip strip 10.

In a preferred, embodiment ends'that chambers 4 are'formed between them and the inwardly extending thin ribs 2b. These chambers 4 enlarge the chambers 5 between the two abutting structural members and ensure that the ribs 2a need not be made excessively long, for the purpose of obtaining a suitably large distance h so that a distortion of the'ribs 201 as a result of the relativelylarge linear coeflicient of expansion of thethermoplastic synthetic material is prevented. 7

Due to the suction action of the chambers 3, ribs such 7' as 2a may also serve as elements of the glazing arrange. ment of the window sashes; In FIGURES 1 and 2 glazing strips',6 and 7 are additionally provided on the corners opposite'the rib 2a and strip 2a, respectively, and each glazing strip is attached separately to one of the corner ing a tubular metallic member of rectangular section, a unitary extruded tubular sheathing of synthetic thermoplastic m-aterial covering said metallic member, said :sheathing beingprovided with opposed'side walls, oppo- 'sitely extending ribs on said sheathing in substantially the same'plane as said side walls, certain of said ribs being of side walls than other of said'ribs, 'relatively't-hin sealing increased width to project a greaterdistance beyond said ribs formedon the outer ends of said ribs of increased of the invention the ribs 2a extend so far toward the plane of the window attheir free width extending in a direction opposite to the direction of said rib of increased width' and directed inwardly toward the sheathing, saidrelatively thin ribs being adapted .to conta-ctually engage one of the other of said oppositely extending ribs, on an adjacent structural member, said other ribs and said ribs of increased width of adjacent structural members being adapted to cooperate when the structural members are used for window and window frame structures to. form an air chamber enclosed by walls connecting said side walls' and the interengaging ribs, each of said certain ribs of increased width being provided on a portion of its free end with a sharp edge which projects at ano'btuse angle and cooperates with the adjacent surface of therelatively thin sealing rib to' form a longitudinal recess, whereby when a rib of increased width is engaged by'one of said other oppositely extending ribs of ,an adjacent structural member a sealing suction chamber will be formed in said recess and effectively seal the joint therebetween by an insulating air space.

i ,7 2. A structural member as set forth in .claim 1'in which ribs 20, said ribs 20 being provided with longitudinally extending grooves as at 1-3 to form a bead. a

The glazing strips 6 and,7 (and also 14 in FIG. 3) may consist of metal, such as aluminum or stainless steeland, as shown, strips 6 and 7 may be provided with a'thin flexible lip 12 which engages the window pane and covers the glazing cement. These metal strip-s have the advantage that the metallic appearance of the outside and of the Windows desired by some architects can be carried out in practice since between the attached glazing strips and the metallic supporting tubes 1 the thermoplastic synthetic sheathing} is arranged to serve as an insulating body. As a result any heat transmission which otherwise would be unavoidable with all metallic sashes is eliminated.

In the embodimentshown in FIG. Zone of the ribs 2c on the tubular coveringz is provided with a separately attached strip 2a consisting, for example. of a harder thermoplastic synthetic material which may be desirable as a support for the glass pane.

[ FIG. 3 shows structural members 2 having vertically atleast one of said other ribs is provided with a rounded surface adapted to beengaged by a cooperating thin rib.

3. A structural member as set forth in claim 1 in which at least someof said other ribs on said sheathing are provided with beaded corner portions for being received in correspondingly shaped slots in separate glazing strips.

4. A structural member asset forth in claim 1 in which said thin ribs arearranged in substantially parallel spaced relationship to said rib-s'of increased width on said sheathing to form chambers therebetween vv'vhenfaflthin rib is engaged by one of said other r-ibsof an adjacent structural extending ribs 20 on each of the four corners and all these ribs 20 on the tubular covering 2 are of such a formats to receive push on strips.14 and 15 similar to the pushon strips .2a'- in FIGURE 2. V The strips 14 and-1'5'provide strips related to the elements 2a and 2a'v in FIGURES I and 2. Strips 15'se1've as sealing. strips which engage the HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A STRUCTURAL MEMBER FOR MAKING THE FRAME STRUCTURES OF CLOSURE MEMBERS SUCH AS WINDOWS AND DOORS, COMPRISING A TUBULAR METALLIC MEMBER OF RECTANGULAR SECTION, A UNITARY EXTRUDED TUBULAR SHEATHING OF SYNETHETIC THERMOPLASTIC MATERIAL COVERING SAID METALLIC MEMBER, SAID SHEATHING BEING PROVIDED WITH OPPOSED SIDE WALLS, OPPOSITELY EXTENDING RIBS ON SAID SHEATHING IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME PLANE AS SAID SIDE WALLS, CERTAIN OF SAID RIBS BEING OF INCREASED WIDTH TO PROJECT A GREATER DISTANCE BEYOND SAID SIDE WALLS THAN OTHER OF SAID RIBS, RELATIVELY THIN SEALING RIBS FORMED ON THE OUTER ENDS OF SAID RIBS OF INCREASED WIDTH EXTENDING IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THE DIRECTION OF SAID RIB OF INCREASED WIDTH AND DIRECTED INWARDLY TOWARD THE SHEATHING, SAID RELATIVELY THIN RIBS BEING ADAPTED TO CONTACTUALLY ENGAGE ONE OF THE OTHER OF SAID OPPOSITELY EXTENDING RIBS ON AN ADJACENT STRUCTURAL MEMBER, SAID OTHER RIBS AND SAID RIBS OF INCREASED WIDTH OF ADJACENT STRUCTURAL MEMBERS BEING ADAPTED TO COOPERATE WHEN THE STRUCTURAL MEMBERS ARE USED FOR WINDOW AND WINDOW FRAME STRUCTURES TO FORM AN AIR CHAMBER ENCLOSED BY WALLS CONNECTING SAID SIDE WALLS AND THE INTERENGAGING RIBS, EACH OF SAID CERTAIN RIBS OF INCREASED WIDTH BEING PROVIDED ON A PORTION OF ITS FREE END WITH A SHARP EDGE WHICH PROJECTS AT AN OBTUSE ANGLE AND COOPERATES WITH THE ADJACENT SURFACE OF THE RELATIVELY THIN SEALING RIB TO FORM A LONGITUDINAL RECESS, WHEREBY WHEN A RIB OF INCREASED WIDTH IS ENGAGED BY ONE OF SAID OTHER OPPOSITELY EXTENDING RIBS OF AN ADJACENT STRUCTURAL MEMBER A SEALING SUCTION CHAMBER WILL BE FORMED IN SAID RECESS AND EFFECTIVELY SEAL THE JOINT THEREBETWEEN BY AN INSULATING AIR SPACE. 